


Reasons Why

by Silvaimagery



Category: Vikings (TV)
Genre: AU, Action, Episode Related, Freedom, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-13
Updated: 2014-04-13
Packaged: 2018-01-19 06:30:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1459393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silvaimagery/pseuds/Silvaimagery
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There was a reason why Ragnar made Athelstan a free man.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“Priest.”

He turns and looks at me.

“I do not want you to do anything stupid out there.”

“What?” He frowns.

I grab the back of his neck and shake him a little.

His wide blue eyes stare at me.

“You have gotten very good at fighting but you still have a lot to learn. I do not want you taking any chances.”

He nods.

“Good.”

I lean in and kiss him on the mouth.

His body tenses.

I step back.

He opens his mouth as if to speak but he doesn’t say anything.

His eyes look at me before skidding away.

I sigh.

“Athelstan, why do you still refuse my touch?”

“Forgive me. But I am still your slave am I not?”

I groan.

“We have spoken about this before. I have never treated you like a slave.”

“That doesn’t matter. In the eyes of the law I am still your slave. I cannot be with you without feeling like I was just doing another duty.”

“Do you not want me?”

“That is beside the point.”

“Athelstan.” I grab his shoulders.

He frowns and purses his lips.

I look at the sky asking Odin for patience.

“Alright. I promise I will not touch you in any way you do not want.”

“Thank you.”

I nod and move away.

“Our priest is still holding on to his virtue I see.” Floki says.

I resist the urge to slap him upside his head.

I roll my eyes and go and sit by the water away from the other men.

I find an apple in a nearby satchel and I take it for my own.

I sigh as I chew on a piece of apple.

I had to find a way of making Athelstan a free man without making it seem like I was just doing it so that he would have sex with me.

I touch my pants pocket where I carried the bracelet I had chosen for Athelstan.

I smile to myself.

******************

“Horik is in trouble!”

“What?”

I feel his hand on my arm and I turn to look at him.

“Horik is in trouble!”

“Then help him.” I say handing him my axe.

I watch him hurry towards King Horik.

“Perhaps he can strike them dead with his holy book.” Floki asks.

We both stand there as Athelstan takes on four soldiers by himself.

I take a shaky breath.

He looks beautiful.

“Go help Horik.” I tell Floki.

He nods and takes Torstein with him.

I hurry towards Athelstan.

I jump on the two soldiers still standing over him.

I take Athelstan’s hand and lead him away.

We join forces with the rest of the fighters and put up a shield wall.

The soldiers come crashing against the wall we built.

And once there are enough of them bunched together I order the wall to be opened to allow them to come pouring in.

“Open! Open!”

They are like animals ready to be slaughtered.

I take one of the soldiers to the ground as I try to stab him with my sword.

“Ragnar!”

I turn to look behind me.

The soldier raises his sword over his head ready to bring it down and deal me a fatal blow.

Athelstan comes up behind the soldier and pierces the solders back with my axe.

I stare at him in surprise.

He smiles at me.

Victory was ours that afternoon.

I watch Athelstan sit by himself.

There is regret on his face.

I know he is sorry for the lives he took this day.

He was probably begging his god to forgive him.

I knew that no matter how many times Athelstan denied it, he would always be a Christian at heart.

I walk over to Athelstan, my left leg still bothering me after all this time.

I place a hand on his shoulder and carefully lower myself to the ground next to him.

I sigh.

He does not look at me.

“You did not hesitate today.”

I try to hide the pride in my voice but I know I failed.

I take the bracelet from my pocket and I hold it for a moment before passing it to him.

He stares at it in surprise before looking at me.

His face is covered in blood and dirt but he has never looked as beautiful to me.

“Take it if you want.”

Athelstan takes it, still unsure.

He studies it and after a moment, he puts it on around his wrist.

I smile.

I would have taken him then and there but I managed to restrain myself.

We still had business to attend to.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Sex up ahead.

Thanks to Athelstan’s teachings, I was able to understand most of the conversation that he had with the two soldiers.

“What have you heard about King Ecbert?” I ask jealousy evident in my voice.

He looks at me.

“That he is just like you.”

“Hmm.”

I smile down at the two captives.

I turn and walk away.

“We must find a suitable place to make camp.” I tell King Horik.

He nods.

I order my people to move out.

I glance back at Athelstan who is still speaking with the two soldiers.

“What of them?” Floki asks me.

I look at him.

“Dispose of them.”

He smiles before looking back at the soldiers.

“It seems that our priest is growing attached.” Torstein says.

I focus back on Athelstan and I watch him giving them water.

“Athelstan!” I call.

He looks at me.

“Don’t bother. They won’t need water where they are going.”

He frowns uncomprehending.

I turn away.

“Let’s move on!” I call.

******************

Athelstan walks into our tent.

He looks around.

I look at him.

He turns to look at me.

“You will be sleeping here with me.” I say before he can ask. “Unless you would rather share a tent with Floki and Torstein.”

“No.” He shakes his head. “Here is fine.”

“Good because I was not going to let you sleep somewhere else where I could not keep an eye on you.”

He smiles and shakes his head.

“I am free man now.” He says showing me his wrist where his bracelet catches the light of the fire. “I can sleep wherever I want and you have no say in it.”

“That is true.”

I walk towards him.

“But would you want to?”

I touch the delicate skin of his wrist.

I can feel him shiver.

“Do you want to? Sleep somewhere else without me?”

He stares at me unblinking and he shakes his head.

I lift his wrist up to my lips.

He sucks in a breath but he doesn’t move away.

“Do you want to sleep here with me?” 

I brush my lips against his teasingly.

“Athelstan.”

His eyes close.

“Yes.” He whispers.

I kiss his lips softly.

“And will you accept my caresses?”

“Yes.” 

“Say you will have sex with me.”

“I want to. So much.”

I caress his arms.

“You are very beautiful Athelstan. My priest.”

“I am not a priest anymore.” He says against my lips.

“You will always be my priest.”

I kiss and lick slowly into his mouth.

His breathing speeds up and he moans softly.

I pull him close and lead him towards the pile of furs.

He goes willingly.

He lies back and I remove his clothes slowly, licking and kissing every piece of skin as it comes into view.

He writhes and moans, his hair sticking to his sweaty skin.

Once I have worshipped his front, I turn him over and lick my way down his back.

He gasps, his eyes squeezed shut.

“Oh please Ragnar.”

“Be patient my priest.” I say against the delicate skin of his backside.

I kiss down to his ankle and then I sit up and tear off my own clothes, not caring of where they land.

I lie over him and I kiss the back of his neck.

“Are you ready for me my priest? Or will you deny me?”

“No.” He pants. “I need you Ragnar.”

“Good.”

I reach out and remove the oil I had hidden under one of the furs.

I coat my fingers before reaching down to tease his opening.

His hips move against my hand, unsure whether to ask for more or move away.

He gasps as I push my finger in.

“Relax Athelstan, let me in.”

I caress his tense shoulders with my lips.

“I can’t.” He says.

“Yes you can. Just breath in and out, stop tensing.”

“I want to see you.”

“You will but this time it will be easier like this.”

I move my finger in deeper.

He groans.

“No. I want to see your face.”

I sigh against his neck.

“Alright.”

Turns out that he was right.

He doesn’t tense up as much once we are face to face.

I kiss his mouth as I prepare him.

His hands pull against my shoulders until I settle more of my weight on him.

“Priest.” I say against his neck.

“Please don’t call me that when we are in bed together, doing the things we are doing.”

“And what are we doing?”

“We are about to have sex, sometime soon I hope.”

I laugh and nip at his ear.

He lifts his shoulder to cover his ear.

“Fine. I will not call you priest when we have sex.”

“Make love.” He corrects.

“Make love.” I amend. 

“Good.”

“Why don’t you show me how your Christian people make love?”

“The same way you pagans do I suppose. I wouldn’t know.”

“Us pagans.” I say against his ear.

“I have been celibate remember?”

“Yes. It’s all coming to back to me, vividly.”

He stares at me.

“I am sure none of the filthy things you are picturing ever happened.”

“Let me have my fantasies.”

I lean back down to take his mouth in a rougher kiss.

I hitch his legs over my hips.

His hands grasp my arms.

I position myself and slowly push in.

He tries to deny me entrance at first but slowly he relaxes and I sink into a tightness and heat that I have never felt before.

I try to control my speed.

I did not want to hurt my little priest.

But it is very hard to when he is moaning and writhing underneath me, begging for more.

I brace most of my weight on my arms and my knees.

“Do not worry Athelstan. I will always give you exactly what you need.”

“Please.”

I smile down at him, the sweat running down my back.

“Yes.”

I start to pick up speed careful not to be too brutal.

I can always save that for later once he becomes accustomed to having me inside of him.

And he will.

For now I focus on giving him just enough speed to touch that magical place inside of him that will bring him even more pleasure.

He moans louder and I know I have found it.

“You are loud. People will know what we are doing in here.” I say.

“I don’t care! Just keep doing what you are doing, don’t stop.”

“I don’t intend to, at least not until I see you come all over yourself.”

He groans, his breath coming in short pants and I can feel him tighten around me.

“That’s it. Come on Athelstan.”

My rhythm starts to fail me.

I moan.

I didn’t know how much longer I could keep going at this pace.

He felt too good.

I reach down and take his weeping cock in my hand.

I give it a couple of pulls and he comes with a shout.

Black spots dance in front of my vision as he becomes impossibly tighter around me.

I thrust into his body a few more times before I spill my seed deep inside his body.

I rest my forehead against his chest and I try to catch my breath.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, another ending. Enjoy.

After a few moments I pull out of him carefully and I lie on my back beside him.

“Did you see heaven priest?”

“I don’t know exactly what I saw.” I turn my head to look at him and he turns to look at me. “I think we have to do that several more times so that I can be sure.”

I laugh and I pull him over me.

I lift my head and kiss him.

“I like this new side of you. I should have had sex with you a long time ago.”

“Hmm.” He sighs.

He rests his head against my chest.

I stare up at the ceiling of the tent.

“I should have made you a free man a long time ago.”

He lifts himself up so that he can look down at me.

“Wait. Is this why you made me a free man?” He frowns.

I push his hair behind his ears.

“No.”

He keeps staring down at me unbelieving.

“Well, not just so that you would have sex with me.”

He punches my shoulder and I am surprised when it actually hurts.

“You are getting very good at that.”

He sits up so that he is straddling me.

“So what? You don’t really think I fought well today?”

“You look very beautiful right now.”

He crosses his arms over his chest and he purses his lips.

I sit up, holding on to his hips so that he won’t fall.

“I thought you fought very well today. Even if you took stupid risks.” I kiss his forehead. “And I love you very much. I just wanted you to accept me so that I could make you feel as happy as you make me.”

He sighs.

“You do make me happy Ragnar.”

“Good because I am not letting you go.”

“And I don’t want you to.”

“So am I forgiven?”

“Yes.”

“Then let us celebrate.”

“How?”

“By making love of course!”

He laughs and I push him down onto the furs again.

*********************

“You’re leaving?” I look at Horik.

“Of course I am. I must find my family. Are you not coming?”

“I’m minded to stay here, Ragnar, to speak to this King Ecbert further. I think he is afraid of us and we will make a deal to our advantage.” He says.

“You can’t even speak their language. How will you communicate?”

He reaches back and pulls Athelstan closer at his side.

I stare at Athelstan and he stares back wide eyed.

“If you will permit this man, Athelstan, to remain with me, he can do the talking.”

“No.”

“If I can be of help to King Horik then I am happy to stay.” Athelstan says.

“No.” I say again.

I turn away and continue to pack my things.

“He is a free man now is he not?” Horik asks.

“Pack your things Athelstan. There will be no time in the morning and I don’t want you forgetting anything.”

Athelstan purses his lips but he moves away to do as I have ordered.

“Ragnar.” Horik says.

“I cannot allow him to remain behind, I will not. Athelstan was once a Christian, what do you think they will do to him if he is captured?”

He doesn’t say anything.

He only nods and walks out of the tent.

I sigh.

I look at Floki and Torstein and I nod towards the entrance.

They leave.

I walk over to Athelstan.

“I told you before, I will not leave you where I cannot keep an eye on you.”

He turns to look at me, a frown on his face and fire in his eyes.

“You know how you have made me look in front of Horik?”

“I don’t care about Horik.” I cup his face. “I care about you and I will not leave you here on your own with these people who will not care if you live or die.”

He lowers his gaze.

“Athelstan.”

He looks at me.

“I love you.”

He nods.

“Come, let us go home.”

“Alright.”

“Good.” I hug him. “Now I regret you forgiving me so quickly. I think I would have enjoyed carrying you all the way to the boat.”

He punches my shoulder but there is a smile on his face.

“Abusive.” I say before leaning in to kiss him.

 

The End.


End file.
